One year after the death of Shahbaz Bhatti the Daughters of St Paul in Italy published a book by Roberto Zuccolini and Roberto Pietrolucci.
“It is the story of a Christian who did not surrender to those who assume that it is impossible for people to live together in Pakistan. It is the story of a man who fought hand-to-hand and died a martyr. His story gives us an entrance into the mystery of a life lived for others, even to the end. It is a precious story, not only for Christians but for everyone in his country, which has been seeking the ways of peaceful coexistence since 1947, and for the whole world, still the scene of too many conflicts with a political, ethnic and religious background” (from the presentation by Andrea Riccardi).
The presentation of the book, Friday, March 16, 2012, took place in the highly symbolic setting of the Basilica of St. Bartholomew on the Island in Rome, the shrine of the “new martyrs” and a privileged space for interreligious dialogue and ecumenism (which has been, not coincidentally, entrusted to the Community of Sant’Egidio since 1993.) As of last April 5, the church has also treasured the personal Bible of Shahbaz Bhatti.